1.0 Background
In recent years, hundreds of billions of dollars are spent by various firms into advertise marketing all around world. Younger demographic targeting advertisements are increasing to become big business. Children became the target of advertising that concerned by the academic world since the 1970s. McNeal (1969) and consumer advocates determined that children was a market as well as consumer (Macklin, 1998). From then on, a dramatic growth on children targeting advertising was experienced in this period. An interesting data was estimated by McNeal that every year over $2 billion spent by children. During 1997, $24 billion were purchased by under 14-year-old children. Meanwhile, children simulated another $188 billion spent by their family (Crowe, 1997). Until now, it can not be denied that children’s advertising is still the outpost where all companies eager to conquer.
2.0 Introduction
The professional marketing and advertising employees are focusing on increasing sales volume; creating much more young generations to become potential customers and firming their market share. From 1990s, manufacturers started to use simply and brief messages in their advertisements which target to their new customers, children. With the development of technology, companies and marketers doing advertise and market through radio, TV, intent and other all kinds of place where can put their advertisements can be seen. Currently, food advertisements which are facing to children have made 9 million American children overweight (Pallarito, 2004). This essay focuses on analyzing the hot topic about advertising to children. During the analysis, main subjects will be listed. Therefore, as a support, this essay will apply a relevant framework and real incidents published on the newspapers. Finally, positive effects like brand loyalty creating and high physical and mental influences will be discussed for this hot topic in marketing.
3.0 Children customers——segmentation, targeting and positioning
3.1 Segmentation
Demographic is one of the main five methods for segmentation, which can depend on age, gender and income. Age, as the one of the simplest factors is easily segmented by firms in every field. Depends on the age, consumers can be separated into several parts, such as children and adult. For specific companies, age will be segmented very carefully, such as food firms, toy firms and garment companies. It is surprised that there are average 500,000 dollars invested for advertising by a private school (MoE 2012). For the private school, students are their costumers. For this reason, it is necessary to make segmentation and suitable target with a differentiation strategy.
Iacobucci (2012) concluded that it is difficult for firms and marketers to make whole market buy their products, so focus on the specific customers is a smart and easy way to do the advertising and targeting. Segment a broad market into small and specific markets will easy to meet the requirement from customers and get money from these small groups. Segmentation as an important strategy requires companies and marketers concentrate on the needs, attitudes and behaviors of customers rather than customers’ personalities.
Children market can be separated into several groups by age, such as baby, early youth, teenager and near eighteen. Actuarially, the potential targets of children market are parents who decide what kind of product they need to buy for their baby and little children. That’s the reason why companies should analysis the needs and behavior of children of all ages as well as their parents. The products will sell good if the companies did a wide range covering advertising. In addition, potential risks still exist such as over targeting to the parents and wrong analysis focusing. What can firms and marketers do is, do the right segment, decide a enough wide range of customers and improve the products continuously. That can make firms on the right
